Many people who haven’t got room in their homes or have chosen to take the office out of their homes have resorted to having a purpose-built office in their garden. This is great as it will no doubt be the size and style that you prefer.
However, it isn’t simply a case of erecting a small building in the corner of your garden and then thinking that you can work from it. In fact, you’ll quickly find that you need something in the way of forethought, design, and organization to make it a comfortable and profitable haven.
Table of Contents
1. Keep an even temperature
Although most modern buildings — even the smaller ones, tend to be well insulated, when it comes to extreme weather, you’ll need something else to keep it at a comfortable temperature. You may, at first, think that you could get by with a small desk fan, but after a short while, you’ll realize that this just circulates the warm or hot air and doesn’t, in fact, cool the room or you at all.
The next step up from this could be in the installation of a small AV unit. Understanding the additional costs of this investment before you go ahead with the installation is essential, and you’ll be able to get this information by using an AC Calculator. Of course, you should also take into consideration the amount of work you’ll be able to get done if you’re working in a comfortable temperature compared to how productive you’ll be if you’re too hot and sleepy or too cold and tense.
2. Provide yourself with plenty of room
You may start off wanting a nice, cozy little office where members of the family or even friends can drop in, sit comfortably and spend some time with you, but after a while, it’s likely that you’ll feel cramped — unless your office is huge, that is. As with other areas in the home, this can lead to a cluttered and untidy workspace, which, in turn, means frustration, tension, and a sudden dip in the desire to concentrate or organize your space into a proactive one.
3. Invest in quality furnishings
You should be dressing your office for work. Take the minimum amount of furniture into your office and ensure that it’s totally practical for what you need it for. If you’re working with a tight budget, look to purchase second-hand furniture and replace it with new when you can afford it.
Buying items second-hand makes sense as you’ll find that you can pick up superior goods at a fraction of the original cost. Of course, you should make sure that you’re happy with the level of wear and tear of the items and, where possible, seek out items that are in “like new” condition rather than on the verge of falling apart.
To wrap it all up
Having a purpose-built office in the garden is highly desirable, but it’s important that you make sure that it’s totally functional as well. Ensuring that you can control the temperature is a “must-have” that will benefit your productivity. You should also ensure that you have plenty of room to work in. Dressing your office first for business and second for social times is essential, and any visitor is likely to agree, although you should always make time for interaction — especially when you’re working in isolation.
